Mountain View Voice 07.20.2012 - Section 1

Section 1 of the July 20.2012 edition of the Mountain View Voice

French
connection
comes
to Castro
WEEKEND | P.14
JULY 20, 2012 VOLUME 20, NO. 26
www.MountainViewOnline.com
650.964.6300
MOVIES | 16
State Senate candidates
in 30 minutes or less
By Sandy Brundage
C
MICHELLE LE
From left: KimiAnn Sano and Vanessa Higa watch Erin Tokutomi dress Michelle Tokutomi as a big
taiko drum during practice for the Obon Festival at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple.
Temple’s Obon fest celebrates family
By Emily Efland
T
he thrumming of Japanese taiko drums
reverberated through the air during a
recent practice at the Mountain View
Buddhist Temple. Participants chanted and
performed traditional dances in preparation for
the temple’s largest festival of the year, set for
Saturday and Sunday, July 21 and 22.
Members of the temple will honor their ancestors in the temple’s 59th annual Obon Festival
and Bazaar this weekend, inviting the public to
celebrate the Japanese holiday with dance, art,
food and games.
The festival will run from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
See OBON FESTIVAL, page 6
Fighting the law with free foie gras
CHEZ TJ CHEF BELIEVES LOOPHOLE IN LEGISLATION PUTS RESTAURANT IN CLEAR
By Nick Veronin
A
nimal rights activists are
up in arms over a local
chef’s decision to continue serving foie gras despite a
new state law banning its sale.
They can quack all they want
about it, as far as officials at
Chez TJ are concerned. “We’re
not doing anything wrong,” said
an unapologetic Joey Elenterio, executive chef at Mountain
View’s only Michelin-rated res-
INSIDE
taurant.
Elenterio said he believes the
“bird feeding law,” as it is sometimes called, is a governmental
overreach. The law, which went
into effect July 1, bans both the
production and sale of the fattened duck or goose liver dish in
California.
Beyond Elenterio’s personal
views on the matter, he said he is
certain that he found an entirely
above-board way around the legislation, which he called “watered
down” and “vague.”
The Cupertino-born chef reasons that as long as he is giving the the traditional French
delicacy away — “for free” — the
restaurant is in the clear.
The language of the law states
“a person may not force-feed a
bird for the purpose of enlarging
the bird’s liver beyond normal
size, or hire another person to do
so” and that “a product may not
See FOIE GRAS, page 9
VIEWPOINT 13 | GOINGS ON 17 | MARKETPLACE 18 | REAL ESTATE 20
alifornia State Assemblyman Jerry Hill (D-San
Mateo) see like a man
who really could tell you his life
story in three minutes flat. He
demonstrated his mastery of
the elevator pitch before a crowd
of about 35 people at a forum
hosted by the Menlo Democrats
club.
Also in the spotlight was
Mountain View’s former Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, who
represented District 22 in the
legislature from 2002 to 2008.
The two candidates face off in
November for a seat in the newly
formed state Senate District
13, which includes most of San
Mateo County and portions of
Santa Clara County such Palo
Alto and Mountain View.
The pair took turns answering
four questions fielded by club
president John Woodell over the
course of 30 minutes in a back
room at the Menlo Hub on Tuesday (July 17) night.
First up, high-speed rail. Hill
said he refused to support the
newly passed high-speed rail bill
until it incorporated electrification of Caltrain, provided standalone value to the Central Valley
where the first segment will be
constructed, and guaranteed a
two-track design. He voted in
favor of the bill, although rail
watchdogs question whether the
guarantee really exists.
Lieber had a different perspective. “It’s a bad bill,” she said. “It’s
a bad deal for the Peninsula.” She
suggested that given the state’s
economic struggles, there are
higher priorities like education
and the environment.
The discussion then turned to
restoration of the Hetch Hetchy
reservoir. An offshoot group
of the Sierra Club wants to put
an initiative on the November
ballot that would create a plan
eventually leading to draining the reservoir to restore the
Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite
National Park. San Francisco
draws heavily upon the reservoir
and supplies its water to other
parts of the Peninsula.
“I understand why they want
to, but the Bay Area relies on
water from the
Hetch Hetchy,”
Lieber said.
She suggested a
focus on levees
instead, commenting that
levy failure
Jerry Hill
could lead to
salt water intrusion that could
wreak havoc on
the Bay Area’s
water supply.
Hill voiced
concerns over
San FrancisSally Lieber
co’s getting to
decide what
happens to the
water supply serving residents all
along the Peninsula.
“Do we have a voice in that?
Yes,” he said. “But we don’t have
a say.” He said one of the first
pieces of legislation he would
author, if elected, would be a bill
guaranteeing that all Bay Area
communities who rely on the
reservoir would get a say in its
future.
Job creation was up next.
Both candidates agreed that
jobs are good, but had different
approaches.
Hill, who chairs the state
Assembly’s biotechnology committee, advocated streamlining regulations for the biotech
industry by removing redundancies, for example, to stimulate
an innovative economy. People
need “the right education and
the right environment for job
See STATE SENATE, page 8
apr.com
EXPLORE THE NEW
Where people, homes and a bit of imagination intersect
PATRICE HORVATH
LYNN NORTH
ALEX & DOROTHY LIU
MOUNTAIN VIEW
Beautifully remodeled
4bd/3ba home located in a desirable neighborhood close to Springer Elementary School. Large
FR and LR, + dramatic master suite. $1,598,000
SUNNYVALE
Stunning 6bd/3ba remodeled
home located on a quiet corner lot across from
Las Palmas Park. Great ﬂoor plan with formal LR
and DR + gourmet kitchen.
$1,098,000
SAN JOSE
Turn-the-key and move-right-in!
Updated 3bd/2ba home features remodeled kitchen, HW ﬂoors, double-paned windows + more.
8260+/- sf lot.
$988,000
MICHAEL GALLI
BARB CONKIN-ORROCK
Luxury Portfolio International™ has presented
Alain Pinel Realtors with the Top Luxury
Brokerage Award, honoring the company
MOUNTAIN VIEW
Build your dream home
on one of downtown Mountain View’s best streets
close to shops and restaurants along Castro
Street. 6600+/- sf lot.
$799,000
that best exempliﬁes the overall luxury market
presence, high price point expertise, and
outstanding marketing strategy.
PALO ALTO
Spacious end-unit! Bright
2bd/2.5ba townhouse with updated kitchen, LR/
DR combo + ﬁreplace. Lovely patios. Top-rated
Palo Alto schools.
$695,000
KAREN BELLA
MICHAEL GALLI
CHERYL OKUNO
CAMPBELL
MOUNTAIN VIEW
Gorgeous 2bd/1ba condo
in peaceful location within the complex. Private
back entrance and huge patio which overlooks the
park. Secured parking.
$450,000
SANTA CLARA
Updated 2bd/2.5ba townhouse
located near downtown Campbell and community
center. Attached 2-car garage. Complex features
pool and spa.
$454,900
Private end-unit! Well-maintained 2bd/2.5ba townhouse features 2 master
suites, + new granite counters in kitchen. Attached
1-car garage.
$399,950
LOS ALTOS ⎮ 167 South San Antonio Rd 650.941.1111
APR COUNTIES ⎮ Santa Clara ⎮ San Mateo ⎮ San Fracisco ⎮ Marin ⎮ Sonoma ⎮ Alameda ⎮ Contra Costa ⎮ Monterey ⎮ Santa Cruz
2
■ Mountain View Voice ■ MountainViewOnline.com ■ July 20, 2012
7PJDFT
A R O U N D
T O W N
Now you can have a beautiful,
HEALTHY Smile with InvisalignÂŽ
Invisalign straightens teeth
to help improve oral health.
Asked in downtown Mountain View. Photos and interviews by Rebecca Alger.
Straight teeth are:
UĂ&#x160;
>Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;VÂ?i>Â&#x2DC;
UĂ&#x160;Â&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2026;iÂ?ÂŤĂ&#x160;ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;iĂ&#x203A;iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;
future dental problems
UĂ&#x160;Â&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2026;>Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x160;Â?iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x153;i>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;EĂ&#x160;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;>Ă&#x2022;Â&#x201C;>
UĂ&#x160;iĂ&#x152;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x192;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2C6;Â?iĂ&#x160;Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x160;VÂ&#x153;Â&#x2DC;vÂ&#x2C6;`iÂ&#x2DC;Vi
Do you change your habits when
itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Spare the Air day?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I walk downtown and go to
the library.â&#x20AC;?
Laura Anderson, Mountain View
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sorry to say that I did not
know about Spare the Air days,
so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never done anything
differently.â&#x20AC;?
Dave Pan, San Mateo
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really do anything
differently on Spare the Air
days because I always walk or
take public transit.â&#x20AC;?
Sylvia Peterson, Mountain View
Best of all, you can have Invisalign from one
of the foremost experts in the world right
here in Mountain View, Dr David Boschken.
Dr Boschken has helped more than 2100
people smile beautifully with Invisalign.
BoschkenOrthodontics.com
100 W. El Camino Real, Ste 63A
Mountain View, CA 94040
650-964-2626
*Must present coupon at time of appointment
*Most insurances accepted
â&#x20AC;&#x153;
â&#x20AC;?
Be creative and experiment with your workout.
TAKE THE
2Cost:
WEEK
CHALLENGE
$127
Complete (7) Personal Training
Session in fourteen days and receive
â&#x20AC;&#x153;On Spare the Air days, I
consider riding my bike to
work.â&#x20AC;?
FREE Guest Privileges for 30 days!
To inquire/register please schedule a complimentary
fitness evaluation. Some Restriction Apply.
Ronald Schrtenboer, Cupertino
â&#x20AC;˘ One fitness evaluation (complimentary)
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I generally donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do much
differently. I ride my bike every
day and because of that, I
suppose, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think about it.
Matthew Macdonald, Los Altos
WHAT TO
EXPECT?
â&#x20AC;˘ Win & Join a Monthly Training Option and your guest will
also be able to attend your training sessions at no extra
cost during the first 30 days
â&#x20AC;˘ All sessions must be booked in advance and a 24 hour
notice is required to reschedule/cancel
â&#x20AC;˘ Make up session will cost only $18
â&#x20AC;˘ Total two weeks cost $127
BOOK YOUR COMPLIMENTARY SESSION WITH OUR FRONT DESK TODAY!
OvertimeFitness.com 650.944.8555
. 3HORELINE "LVD
-TN 6IEW s -
&